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Sunday, May 20, 2012

Ajwaini Bhindi (Okra With Carom Seeds)

As a kid I used to hate okras, the mere sight of this slimy veggie was enough to make me loose my appetite, but my mom never lost her hopes of seeing her stubborn daughter finish her okra meal. She used all the tricks under her hat to convince me to eat it. Mom used to say that if I eat okras then my brain will become sharp and I will excel in my mathematics, but I used to dash her hopes by neither eating okras nor scoring centum in my maths. Slowly over the years I acquired taste for okras, and now I love it in any form. Finally my mom's dream have come true but still that mathematics issue remains.........

Carom seeds or Ajwain are known to have many medicinal qualities, the seeds have thymol in them which aids in digestion. Carom seeds also help to control asthama and is effective in treatment of cold and flu symptoms.

Ingredients:

Okra- 1/2 Kg

Oil- 2 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds- 1/2 Tsp

Cumin Seeds- 1/2 Tsp

Carom Seeds- 1 Tsp

Potato- 1 Medium Sized Cut into pieces

Onion- 1 Large Sliced Finely

Turmeric Powder- 1/4 Tsp

Salt, Chilli Powder- To Taste

Coriander Powder- 2 Tsp

Dry Mango Powder- 1/2 Tsp

Procedure:

Wash the okras and completely dry them with a kitchen towel, if the okras are wet they will be very slimy. Now chop off and remove the crown of the okras and make slit from top to bottom vertically and horizontally, so that each okra is divided into four long stripes. If the stripes are too long then cut them in half.

Now take a deep frying pan and add oil in it, keep on gas. When the oil heats add in mustard, when the mustard starts crackling add in cumin and carom seeds. Now add in finely sliced onions and fry them, till they turn translucent. Add in potatoes and okras along with turmeric powder, mix everything well. Cover the pan with a lid and cook till the potatoes and okras are well done. Now add in salt, chilli powder, coriander powder and mango powder and gently mix everything together. Cook for another two to three minutes and then remove the pan from the gas.

I loveddd the recepie n I tried it too. My query is that after adding the potatoes n okra when I try to close it with a lid n cook my onions potatoes start burning. N it being okra I can't add water. Where am I going wrong??

I loveddd the recepie n I tried it too. My query is that after adding the potatoes n okra when I try to close it with a lid n cook my onions potatoes start burning. N it being okra I can't add water. Where am I going wrong??

Hi Dinaz...you can try cooking it in simmer heat and gently stir the veggies for few times in between. This will ensure uniform cooking without burning. I hope this helps, and you can even parboil the potatoes and add in the subzi, which will ensure that onions and okras get cooked at the same time as potatoes. Thanks for dropping by.